The school year started just a few short weeks ago and I heard a teacher tell a story about her new 5th grade class. She gave her students an introduction sheet to start the year with some typical “Getting to Know You” questions. The last two questions on the sheet were, “What is something that you expect of me as your teacher?” And, “What is the one thing you would like me to know about you?”

For the first question one boy writes two words, “Be Awesome.”

“Wow!” She said, “I hope I can live up to your expectations.” Being inquisitive she prompted him to answer the next question, “So what is it that you want me to know about you?”

He looked up at her with his big brown eyes, half croaked smile and said very matter-of-fact, “You already know!”

“I do?!” Reacting with a surprised glare and curious tone.

“Yes.” He said, “I’m special!”

Wow. Could pride and arrogance already be attributes of this young man’s heart or could it be possible that he has a loving family and strong support system around him that has shaped him with love and confidence? I am going to guest that it is the latter of these.

Can you say that you are special?

I cringe at the thought. After all, who am I? I’m not special. I didn’t set a world record or climb Mount Everest, earn an Olympic medal, invent a product that revolutionized the world or rescue people from a concentration camp, slavery, injury, or a burning building. I have never even come close. Yet, God says I’m special according to John 1:12, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” That’s pretty special if you ask me.

God has a special place in his heart for kids.  And he said in Matthew 18:24, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” The innocence of a child can teach us so much.

May this message give you the confidence that you are special because God chose us and sacrificed his Son, Jesus, to make sure we know just how special we are.